Cypress - Charleston, SC

March 29, 2011

Cypress definitely is one of my favorite restaurants in Charleston. It is run by the same owners as Magnolia's (posted earlier), but in terms of the cuisine it offers, it is a whole world away than the more traditional Southern food dishes offered by Magnolia's. Cypress was recommended by a good friend of mine who lived in Charleston for many years, and as is usually the case, you can never go wrong with the experience and knowledge of the locals! =) Because this restaurant is in the South, you can definitely see a Southern inspiration in some of the dishes they offer, but like a lot of new "american fusion" restaurants these days, the menu also is inspired by flavors from lots of other locales as well. So why do I like Cypress so much? Frankly, every time I have had a meal there, at least one dish has been fantastic - in general, the dishes have been consistently cooked well, always balanced with both great flavor and texture, and I also love the vibe of the restaurant.

I don't usually take photos of the interiors of restaurants, but for me, the interior design of this restaurant adds a lot to the enjoyable vibe of the restaurant. For instance, the lights on the ceiling change colors occasionally - blue in this photo - but it isn't intrusive at all. The restaurant dining area has several large open areas, yet the feeling is also intimate - I suggest reserving for one of their booths if you are on a date =). Lastly, the lighting is fantastic - it is dark enough that each table is private, yet each table is also illuminated with a light discreetly set in the ceiling above the table, which makes the food easy to see and photograph as well. Yay, no dark photos! =)

Our first set of appetizers, sashimi tuna & oysters on bottom (with a cilantro-lime glaze and pineapple wasabi), and a carolina cup oyster on top (garnished with green tomato and wasabi, served with a horseradish-lemon mignonette) To be honest, I don't usually make a habit of trying japanese-style dishes when I am not in a japanese restaurant, but the sashimi tuna & oysters were surprisingly good. I enjoyed the contrast of the raw tuna with the raw oyster, the seafood was quite fresh, and the cilantro-lime glaze added a nice subtle tang to the dish.

Our second appetizer, a roasted beet salad. Now, I'm not sure if I will ever find a beet salad as fresh and delicious as the one that I had at Marche Moderne, but this one was pretty tasty as well. The salad was served with a goat cheese mousse (from Split Creek Farms, a local farm in the area), toasted hazelnuts, mache, and a red wine vinagrette.

This pork chop was one of our two main courses, and it was a huge highlight of the meal. This photo doesn't come even close to doing justice to the dish - it was a bone-in, thick-cut fresh pork chop from a local farm, Eden Farms, who evidently supplies FIG as well...FIG evidently isn't the only sustainable cuisine game in town ;). The pork chop was extremely juicy and flavorful, perfectly seared and simply seasoned with some sea salt and other spices (possibly some paprika and fresh pepper, I didn't ask though). In fact, this pork chop was the BEST pork chop I have eaten in my young-ish life so far - if every pork chop was as good as this one, I would be ordering it everywhere (and slowly getting fat and broke). I particularly enjoyed the thick cut of the meat (like a really thick ribeye steak). Ha, I have been rhapsodizing so much about the pork chop that I almost forgot about the sides served with the dish: brussels sprouts, bacon, chestnuts, and sage.

P.S. As a side note, although it isn't photographed here, I also recommend the rack of lamb offered at Cypress. They definitely cook their meat well here!

The second entree we ordered was a crisp wasabi tuna glazed with a ginger-garlic sauce, served with edamame and shiitake mushrooms. Unfortunately for the tuna, the pork chop was so awesome that it completely overshadowed this dish. It was fresh and well cooked, but not even close to as good as the pork chop.

Err, here is dessert. Sorry, I can't be more descriptive than that, but I forgot to write down what we ordered, so you can just make up a name for it - I'm just going to call it "chocolate hazlenut yummy-ness", not that I actually remember what it tasted like - and acribe whatever your favorite dessert flavors are to the dish. Sometimes, your imagination can be better than the real thing. =)

Thanks so much, I appreciate you visiting (and liking) my blog! Hopefully you find more interesting posts in the next couple of months...I have to update posts on Columbia, Charlotte, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles...in other words, a lot! But if you try a place and like it (or have another place you might want to suggest), let me know, I love trying new places!

Comments Welcome!

Hi all -

For all of you that are reading this blog, feel free to make comments, and I will try to respond to it as timely as I am able. Please feel free to say whatever you want...because we all can, living here in the United States (yay First Amendment!). I do have comment moderation on (meaning I approve comments before they are posted) - not to screen comments out (even the hateful ones) - but mostly so I can screen out some of the spam that gets sent out of the internet (boo spam bots!).

I will try to be respectful as I can about everyone's opinions in my reply comments, but please do the same for me as well!

~Epicurious E.

My Philosophy about food...

For me, food (and the taste of food) is very individual to each person. You may like some things which I don't like, and I may like other foods, and vice versa. I feel that everyone's culinary palate develops just a little bit differently based on their previous food experiences in their life, which colors what they believe tastes good and taste bad to them. Therefore, there really isn't any food dish which everyone in this world will find "good," despite some people's needs to declare it so. Since food is a very personal individualized experience for each person, I try to refrain from making too many statements like a food critic in this blog. I do try to keep some perspective though, and compare the quality and taste of food at any given restaurant to other restaurants of the same caliber and type. But, obviously, this site represents what I like/and may not like so much, but what I say is: if you might disagree, go and try it for yourself! =) If you are going to eat three square meals a day, you might as well enjoy it, right?

P.S. If you want to know more about why I blog about food and about this blog itself, please read the intro. Thanks!

Definition of an Epicurean

American Heritage Dictionary -ep·i·cu·re·anPronounciation key: ěp'ĭ-kyŏŏ-rē'ən, -kyŏŏr'ē-adj.Devoted to the pursuit and the enjoyment of goodfood andcomfort.

"There is no sincere love than the love of food."~George Bernard Shaw

You know you want it bigger...

(For the earlier posts...)Click on the photos for a much larger, more detailed, superior-sized photograph, and appreciate the food in all its pictorial glory.

(Why Blogspot won't just let me use the original sized photograph that I uploaded, I have no idea) =P.

About Me

Go Bears!
Eating good food, whether it is cheap or expensive, is one of the major pursuits in my life. I am usually thinking about where I want to eat for my next meal =). Any suggestions?
I can be contacted at
epicuriouseats@gmail.com

More about me...Two quotes:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke

Photography

I try not to take photos with flash, because that makes the food look really white, but that also means that some photos are sometimes a bit dim, depending on the mood lighting in a given restaurant. And yes, although it probably is obvious, I am a completely amateur photographer, taking photos with my trusty point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot or sometimes my cellphone camera when I forget my camera (it happens quite often, unfortunately).